Abstract

The excretion of delta-aminolevulinic acid and porphobilinogen in the urine of 31 patients with multiple sclerosis did not differ significantly from that of 51 hospitalized control patients or eight patients with poliomyelitis. There was no relationship between exacerbations, remissions or duration of the illness, and levels of delta-aminolevulinic acid or of porphobilinogen. These assays therefore appear to be of no value in the differential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis or in following the severity or stage of this illness. Whereas demyelination does occur in acute porphyria where the levels of delta-aminolevulinic acid and porphobilinogen are elevated, the converse is not true; that is, demyelination is not always associated with an increase in the excretion of porphobilinogen or delta-aminolevulinic acid.

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This record was last updated on 06/14/2016 and may not reflect the most current and accurate biomedical/scientific data available from NLM.
The corresponding record at NLM can be accessed at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14312444